Intercultural Communication Week 8 Intercultural Communication

Week 8 Wrap-up Chapter 4 Discuss Project 1 example articles In-class group work Assign Project 1

Warm-up What is cultural identity? Why is it is important for intercultural communication?

Cultural Identity cultural identity - the emotional importance that we attach to our sense of belonging or affiliation with the larger culture value content - standards or expectations that people hold in their mindset in making evaluations ex. - individualism-collectivism cultural identity salience - the strength of affiliation we have with our larger culture strong=high salience; weak=low salience clarification: “cultural identity” refers to the feelings of belonging or connection to one larger’s culture ex. - Chinese American, any hyphenated cultural identity

Ethnic Identity ethnic identity - “a matter of ancestry, of beliefs about the origins of one’s forebears”; based on national origin, race, religion, or language also involves a subjective sense of belonging to or identification with an ethnic group across time ethnic value content of specific ethnic groups based on the individualism- collectivism value tendency ethnic identity salience is linked to intergroup boundary across generations has both objective and subjective layers means that ethnicity is mostly based on a common set of traditions, worldviews, history, heritage, and descent on a psychological and historical level

Defining Acculturation and Enculturation acculturation - degree of identity change that happens when people move from a familiar environment to an unfamiliar one from a long-term perspective enculturation - the sustained, primary socialization process of strangers in their original home culture when they have internalized their primary cultures values Ex. - a U.S. immigrant born in Iran would be enculturated into an Iranian identity, but slowly acculturated into U.S. culture once they immigrate

Social Identity European Americans tend to see ethnicity as more symbolic co-culture theory - African-Americans and other minority groups, because of their position in the larger U.S. society, develop a complex, or ethnic/cultural standpoint Use three ways to deal with their everyday surroundings: assimilation - adopting the majority culture’s view for communication accommodation - combining both majority and co-culture views for interaction separation - showcasing the pride or strengths of one’s own ethnic group for communication

Systems-level Factors socioeconomic conditions influence how immigrants will be accepted attitude towards assimilation or pluralism local institutions like schools can help or hurt the adaptation process of immigrants how “strangers” are defined, are they intruders, nonpersons etc. can create either a favorable or unfavorable climate

Individual-level Factors Cultural knowledge Interaction-based knowledge Language fluency demographics, such as age and educational level

Interpersonal-Ethnic Media-level Factors social network (personal relationship networks), use of mass media, and interpersonal skills factors In any IC process, members of the host culture need to act as useful hosts, and newcomers need to act as the willing-to-learn guests

Cultural Identity Article cultural differences are in the structures of expectation of identity communicators must thus seek to infer as they interact In this case, a single term used to define a particular culture is often exclusive; t herefore, "culture is a group which shapes a person's values and identity"  Multiple identities exist for one individual Communication constitutes and reflects identity (due to salience) Construction of cultural identity is based on interaction/comparison with others A dominant culture or dominant cultural practice always exists Intrusions from other cultures often signifies loss of autonomy and therefore loss of identity Threats include cultural imperialism, defensive cultures, and trans-cultural practice

Business Insider Article Linear-actives—those who plan, schedule, organize, pursue action chains, do one thing at a time. Germans and Swiss are in this group. Multi-actives—those lively, loquacious peoples who do many things at once, planning their priorities not according to a time schedule, but according to the relative thrill or importance that each appointment brings with it. Italians, Latin Americans and Arabs are members of this group. Reactives—those cultures that prioritize courtesy and respect, listening quietly and calmly to their interlocutors and reacting carefully to the other side's proposals. Chinese, Japanese and Finns are in this group. National norms don’t change over time, according to Lewis There exist clear trends, sequences and traditions. Reactions of Americans, Europeans, and Asians alike can be forecasted, usually justified and in the majority of cases managed. Even in countries where political and economic change is currently rapid or sweeping (Russia, China, Hungary, Poland, Korea, Malaysia, etc.) deeply rooted attitudes and beliefs will resist a sudden transformation of values when pressured by reformists, governments or multinational conglomerates. (SEE CHARTS) "By focusing on the cultural roots of national behavior, both in society and business, we can foresee and calculate with a surprising degree of accuracy how others will react to our plans for them, and we can make certain assumptions as to how they will approach us."

Harvard Business Review Article contradicts the Lewis model nothing is obvious when it comes to appreciating the impact a person’s culture has on interpreting (or accepting) information case study reveals that cultural misperceptions or unintended affronts (faux pas) exist Conclusion: “Even in a world of globalization there remains an ever-present need for executives/individuals to anticipate and appreciate this frequently hidden culture factor and early on to place it on both the written and unwritten agenda of every similar meeting in the days ahead. If not, decision-makers may overlook basic data — and miss major strategic opportunities.”

In-class group work a) I will task your group with connecting an excerpt from one of the three articles to an IC concept we have covered. b) Choose one of the three articles and specifically relate it to an IC concept, using at least one point from the text.

Project 1 Details First, articles and groups must be emailed to me. Each group member should prepare one point/topic/observation/response about the article/video/photos. If applicable, you can apply a concept(s) we have studied. PPT is not necessary. However, if your group wants to generate class discussion, one slide will serve this purpose. You have creative license as a group. My goal: Get you talking about IC! I will give you feedback.

Week 8 Assignments Read Article 1 and 3 from Week 8 project 1 examples, prepare to discuss related IC concepts covered in the articles Read Chapter 5: Culture Shock (pp. 114-136) Week 9 Assignment: Prepare Project #1 materials and submit via email by Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m. You will present the projects on May 6, week 10’s class